Make public distribution system more transparent, people-friendly: Minister

Srinagar, Oct 30: Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Satish Sharma, took his first review of the department in which he was apprised about the holistic transformation and streamlining of the public distribution system, brought about through the introduction of reforms and technology. Minister for Rural Development, Javid Ahmad Dar, was also present in the meeting.
At the outset, Commissioner Secretary Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA), Zubair Ahmad, presented an overview of the functioning of the department, with a focus on reforms and new initiatives.
While apprising the minister about various schemes currently in vogue in J&K for beneficiaries, he informed that there are 25.11 lakh ration card holders in J&K, covering 99 lakh beneficiaries with 100 percent Aadhaar seeding. He explained that Aadhaar seeding has facilitated the removal of more than a million duplicate/bogus beneficiaries.
He said that in order to ensure that no eligible beneficiary remains out of PDS coverage, the department has brought nearly 8.66 lakh beneficiaries under the PDS network during the last two years, including left-out JK registrants on the e-shram portal.
He further informed that the department has emphasized the inclusion of children born between 2011 and 2016 under PDS. For the convenience of beneficiaries, the department has identified locations for opening new Fair Price Shops (FPS), and further action, as per policy, is being initiated shortly in consultation with NIC for opening these FPSs.
The minister was also apprised that the Public Distribution System in J&K is built around a strong and widespread network of 6,630 ration shops. ePoS devices have been installed in all sale outlets across J&K, and the distribution process is fully automated, with an Aadhaar authentication rate of 95% in transactions. Of these PoS machines, 6,366 are working in online mode.
Sharma was further informed that eKYC of 55.52 lakh beneficiaries under NFSA and 21.78 lakh beneficiaries under NPHH has also been completed by the department in mission mode to clean the PDS database.
The Commissioner Secretary briefed that the department has taken steps for the implementation of Smart PDS and route optimization in lifting of stocks, as per the directives of the Government of India.
Regarding the One Nation-One Ration Card (ONORC), he stated that so far 1.43 lakh ONORC transactions have been made, taking J&K to 9th position in the country. He also mentioned that during this period, nearly 36.34 lakh portability (inter-district) transactions were made in J&K.
While speaking on the occasion, Sharma instructed the officers of the Department of FCS&CA to ensure a hassle-free PDS and also consider the diversification of commodities being provided under PDS.
Commending the efforts made by the department to make the Public Distribution System more transparent and people-friendly, the minister stressed the need to take all possible steps in coordination with the GoI for further augmenting food requirements for people, particularly the vulnerable sections, and to make the system more convenient and hassle-free for beneficiaries.
He further said the department shall take every possible step to ensure that every deserving beneficiary is covered under the PDS. “The present government is committed to ensuring that all citizens of J&K receive all benefits under the Public Distribution System and that no deserving soul is left out,” he said.